2011 Tilia Malbec Mendoza

SKU #113766090 points
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2011 Tilia Malbec, once again from Eastern Mendoza and Uco Valley raised in oak for six to nine months; has an attractive, comparatively complex bouquet of blackberry, wild hedgerow, crushed stone and black pepper. The palate is medium-bodied with tense, edgy tannins on the entry that counterpoise the tight ball of blackberry, briary and minerals with style. It builds nicely in the mouth, leading to a firm, black olive-tinged finish that lightly grips the mouth. Excellent. Drink now-2018.
(10/2012)

89 points
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

Medium red-ruby. Blackberry, black cherry, licorice and a whiff of tar on the nose. Sweet, smooth dark fruit and licorice flavors are given shape by ripe acidity. Nicely creamy in the middle. The tannins lightly dust the teeth on the long finish. A real overperformer: this appealing malbec is better than a lot of chunky, overripe and/or overextracted examples of the variety at considerably higher prices.
(4/2013)

Wine Enthusiast

*Best Buy* The bouquet is scratchy but nicely aromatic, including hints of spice to go with ripe berry scents. The palate is jammy and home to rooty berry, mild spice and very light oak flavors.
(8/2013)

Wine Spectator

Ripe yet focused, this shows layered flavors of spice and brick dust framing the jammy blackberry and boysenberry notes that stretch out in the finish.
(11/2012)

Product Reviews:

For those of you who do not believe any red wine less than $8 is worth taking a chance on, I encourage you to try this Malbec out. It's made from organically farmed grapes by one of Argentina's long-time, leading pioneering wine families in the Catenas. Ripe dark fruit flavors show lots of complexity for this price, as do the mid-palate persistence and structure of the wine. This is one of those surprising under $8 wines that is definitely more than worth the price.

Additional Information:

Varietal:

Malbec

- These days if you're drinking a Malbec it's probably from Argentina. The most planted grape in that country, varietally-labeled Argentine Malbecs are one of the wine market's great values, prized for their slight herbal component and dark, luscious fruit. Structurally, Argentina's Malbecs are much different than those grown in the grape's native France; they are riper, fruitier and fleshier. In France, the best iterations of Malbec can be found in the Cahors, where it can be quite decadent. It is also planted in the Loire Valley, where it is called Côt and is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon or Gamay, and in Bordeaux, where it has fallen from favor in many of the region's great blends because it is difficult to grow. In the United States, the varietal is frequently added to Meritage wines - Bordeaux style blends - but it is rarely found on its own.

Country:

Argentina

- Argentina is regarded as one of the most dynamic wine-producing nations in the world, and possibly the most important wine-producing region in South America. Only four countries in the world produce more wine than Argentina. Considerable investments (much of which has come from famous French, Italian and California wine producers) have been made in new vineyards and winemaking technology in the past several years, which along with recent plantings of more premium varieties of grapes, has made Argentina much more competitive internationally. The Mendoza region is the most important region in Argentina's wine industry. And Malbec, among other Bordeaux varietals grown here, reigns supreme. Click for a list of bestselling items from Argentina.